Saber's Edge
by hawkmoon93
Summary: The SGA team is in need of an expert about a problematic and mysterious planet. They turn to Larrin for help and she provides them with a solution that was not exactly what they were expecting. Rated T for cursing and bloodshed in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Saber's Edge Chapter One: A New Life

Hello, welcome to this new story that I am writing about Stargate Atlantis. It revolves around the entry of one Omlear "Lee" Nerid into the lives of the SGA crew. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think.

I am Omlear Nerid, or Lee as I like to be called. I had always been the solitary type, even before I was taken aboard the Traveler ship with Larrin. I had spent my whole life on the planet Ganeth, and my childhood from the time I was seven years old surrounded by the kind, but distant Rakshuni priestesses. My only goal in life used to be to advance in rank and favor with the goddess Rakshun, but now I feel kind of resigned to the fact that I am now separated from all that I have ever known and among people who frankly couldn't give a damn about what I do; however, as much as I might miss my sisters and the Abbottess, I have no choice but to acknowledge that my exile was, all aspects considered, my own fault. I had always been one to tread the line between the Laws of Rakshun and my own judgment, but this time, I had definitely gone too far. The only thing I suppose I can be grateful for is that I am allowed to keep the weapons of my rank that I had spent the last twenty-eight years of my life struggling to earn_._ I was slightly depressed to think about the fact that the priesthood is all that I have known since I was seven. Now, at thirty-six, I am someplace in space, in an unfamiliar environment, and the only thing I can think about is that I really need to find something to do before I go stir crazy. Meditation worked for the first six hours, but going into my ninth hour of waiting, I am so desperate, I would gladly sift sand to alleviate my boredom.

Larrin: 

I thought about what to do with my new little charity case. To the Travelers who saw her come onboard, Omlear Nerid was a distant and reserved woman. Tall, dark, and most decidedly dangerous. She had been in the order of Rakshun, a cult everyone knew was devoted to a bloodthirsty goddess who demanded the lives of men to appease her. They had all seen or heard how, in the middle of the night, she was escorted aboard the ship by me, clad in a habit that marked her as third in power, or terra, within the cult's hierarchy and carrying the saber and dagger of that office. As far as they were concerned, she was someone to not only avoid, but someone who was not to be trusted. I see her as an exile that needs to be protected and given a new sense of purpose. I had been commissioned by the Abbotess of the Order of Rakshun to spirit Lee off-world, as the thirty-six year old woman had apparently done something to earn the ire of the second-in- command of her cult. The Abbotess appeared to be fond of her third-in-command, as she had paid me good money from the cult's coffers to get Lee safely away from Ganeth.

"_Omlear is a strong warrior, but her name and reputation have been dishonored. I have allowed her to keep the saber and dagger of her rank, but as soon as she leaves the planet, she is to be an exile. She cannot return, and you cannot allow her to dwell upon her life here. Distract her, teach her, use her, it does not concern me…all I care about is that Rakshuni terra Omlear Nerid is to be erased and replaced with a new identity and a new purpose under your command." _The words of the Abottess had struck something within me and so I agreed to the deal, leaving the planet considerably wealthier than I had been when I arrived and with an additional crew member. The only problem that I could see was what to do with my new subordinate. _Well, I suppose I could do that_, I thought as I finalized what I would do with Lee as I made my way to where the exile was waiting.

Lee:

My thoughts were interrupted by Larrin's return. _Well it is about time,_ I thought. _I've been waiting in this room for over nine hours._

"I have decided to make you a member of my crew", declared Larrin, much to my surprise. "The Abbottess told me that you were a skilled warrior, and I could use someone like you as muscle for my negotiations and such. Plus, you are female, so you can go places that men like Silus and Nevik would not be welcome. So, what do you think?"

I was dumbstruck, and the only thing I could do was stare at the Commander.

"I need to know what you can do…", prompted Larrin.

"Well, due to my training as a priestess, I can read and write my language and the language of the Ancestors. I know the old stories and laws of my people, and I can fight hand-to-hand as well as with my saber and dagger. I can also tell a truth from a lie, and I know how to act as an escort because that was among my duties."

Larrin nodded with satisfaction. "That is an excellent start. I shall also see to it that you are trained to use a particle magnum, the standard energy weapon that I and my people use. You shall also require basic knowledge about my peoples' culture and the systems of the ship."

The only reply that I could muster to that statement was a bow in the style of my people back on Ganeth and reply in a weak voice "Yes Commander". As Larrin turned and activated the door's motion sensor to leave the room, she motioned for me to fall in behind her, a role that would soon become second nature to me in the next two years that I would be on her ship.

Thanks so much for reading this first chapter. Here is a little bit of info that might help you place the timing of this story: it occurs sometime after 2008 and the Travelers now have a home planet that is rebuilt. Larrin just chooses to run around in her ship for trading, getting supplies for her people on the planet, and Wraith scouting. In later chapters, I'll explain the nature of Omlear's fighting style, as I'm sure y'all were wondering about the dagger and saber thing.


	2. Chapter 2: Happenings on Atlantis

Hello, welcome to the second chapter in this series. It delves more deeply into the circumstances that will lead the Atlantis team to assume the task of discovering the mysteries of Ganeth. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Happenings on Atlantis

John Shepherd_:_

_Damn it_ I swore to myself as I made my way rapidly through the halls of the Ancient city of Atlantis. _I told Woolsey that sending another team to that godforsaken desert planet was a mistake, but no, we had to "establish trade and diplomatic connections throughout the Pegasus galaxy." _I know, perhaps better than anyone else here in the city how difficult dealing with desert terrain could be, but that paled in comparison to how difficult the planet's natives were. I also know that while Lorne was a good guy to have in a fight, he wasn't exactly known for his diplomacy, and it was that lack of diplomacy that got him and his team run out of town by cloaked-and-veiled warriors. It was also the results of his failed diplomacy that had me hurrying to the conference room to see how Woolsey would handle this little incident.

On my way there, I radioed Teyla in order to apologize for missing yet another sparring session. I felt faint regret, because it had been more than two weeks since I have faced off against the petite Athosian, and I know that I was getting a bit soft. _I swear_, _the next day off I get, I am spending it in the training room to catch up on the practices that I've missed. _The thoughts about Teyla branched out to me thinking about how long I have been on Atlantis in general and all of the trials that my team and I have faced. We have done pretty well in gaining the trust of the many races of people that we have encountered, as well as in just keeping ourselves alive. I could feel the corners of my mouth turn upwards in a smug little smirk as I thought about how many times we have taken on the Wraith with bad odds and beat them. _Hopefully, the luck we have had in the past with the Wraith, Replicators, and Genii won't run out in some other mission_.

Despite Lorne's little encounter with the people on planet Ganeth, we still didn't have much information about them. Teyla and her Athosian contacts could only tell us that the Ganethans were territorial and lived on a desert planet. Apparently, they kept their off-planet trade to a bare minimum. Ronon had never even heard of the planet Ganeth, but that doesn't really surprise me since Chewie isn't exactly known for cracking open the books. McKay and Zalenka could find very little in the Ancient databases about the people, though I now know more than I ever wanted to about their ecosystem, thanks to Rodney. Hopefully Lorne's failed expedition could shed a little more light on the situation, and with those thoughts, I opened the door to Woolsey's office and stepped inside, mentally bracing myself for the typical bureaucratic jargon overload that accompanies anything that comes out of the man's mouth. I walked into the room and I was greeted with the sight of a shamefaced Lorne and a frustrated Woolsey. Lorne was trying to explain what had happened on Ganeth, but Woolsey interrupted him to direct an irate greeting at me.

"Well, Shepherd, you have managed to be ten minutes late to this meeting, despite me telling you how urgent the situation is," growled Woolsey.

All I could do was shrug. "You know how large this city is, and one of the transporters is down."

At the mentioning of one of the transporters being down, Woolsey sighed wearily. "You're here now, so take a seat and let's get on with this matter. Lorne was just reporting that he and his men made friendly conversation with the locals at what appeared to be some kind of cantina. Lorne, why don't you tell the Lieutenant Colonel what you told me."

Lorne began, "Because we suspected that the culture may be similar to the Middle Eastern peoples of Earth, we decided that it would be best to act as if we were dealing with Arabic culture. One of the ideals we would respect was to leave the veiled women alone; however, things got started to go downhill when one of my technicians flirted with a pretty young thing that happened to be without a veil and wearing some kind of robe with a yellow circle on it. The man in question said that she came up to him and initiated the conversation, though I don't quite believe him, as I have seen him flirting with the locals in the past. Either way, a couple of minutes later, four cloaked and veiled warriors with the same yellow circle design on their chests came into the cantina and that's when all hell broke loose. Two of them drew their curved swords and imposed themselves between Reed and the girl. One grabbed the girl and the other yelled something at the rest of the people in the cantina. Next thing I know, everyone is running out of the cantina and the warriors are coming after us. We fire some rounds to get them off our backs and then we high-tailed it back to the gate. Oddly enough, the fact that we used the gate seemed to piss them off even more, probably because the ruins that surrounded the gate may have some kind of significance to them."

I quirked my eyebrow and asked, "Do you know this for certain or are you just making an educated guess?"

"One of my men theorized that the ruins had some kind of religious significance because they kind of resembled a temple structure and there was Ancient writing on one of the walls."

"Question," interjected Woolsey. "Why was there were no report of Ancient writings in our first reconnaissance on Ganeth?"

"Maybe it's because this is the first reconnaissance team to go to this planet. It was just a routine exploration of an unknown planet, sir."

I could not help but wonder why it was that Woolsey was so concerned with this planet. We have faced hostile forces on many of the planets that we have been to, and our usual protocol is to just leave the locals alone if we have no other reason to be there. I voiced my thoughts and earned myself a nasty look from Woolsey.

"Shepherd, the reason why we needed to send a reconnaissance team to Ganeth in the first place is because we were asked to look into the situation there by the leaders of the Coalition of Planets."

"These the same people that tried to blame us for waking up the Wraith?" I asked, mystified as to why they would want to be dealing with us.

"Yes, John, they are," replied Woolsey, tartly. "They came to us for help in dealing with the Ganethans. Apparently they are having some problems with the people of that planet, disappearances, random massacres, and etcetera. The Coalition wants us to look into it. They say it is because we are the strongest military power in this galaxy, barring the Wraith, but I suspect it is because their resources are inadequate for handling problems like this. Normally, I would see no reason to involve the people of Atlantis with the Coalition's political issues; however, I think it may be in our best interests to take a look at the situation, in order to, shall we say, 'cooperate' with the Coalition and to ease our relations with the other political groups in the Pegasus galaxy that are watching to see how we handle this."

"Well isn't this just wonderful news. They want us to clean up their mess." All I could do was shake my head in disbelief.

"There is no mess to clean up, but there is a mystery to be looked into. We are not the first group to be interested in what is happening on Ganeth. Rumor has it that the Genii sent in six different reconnaissance teams and all of them got chased off the planet by the same type of warriors that Lorne and his men ran into. The Coalition is desperate because Ganeth has not one, but two Stargates and it is located in the middle of a system of planets that are in alliance with the Coalition. They fear that their inability to establish contact on Ganeth may be because the Ganethans are planning some sort of attack or invasion on planets under the protection of the Coalition."

"We have quite a mess to take care of then, don't we, Woolsey? Have you notified Stargate Command and gotten their feedback? If we are getting involved with what could be a war in the Pegasus galaxy, shouldn't they know?"

Woolsey shook his head in denial. "I do not feel that this matter is of enough consequence to warrant alerting Stargate Command. The NID would surely drag its feet as usual and then we would have to deal with a rush of paperwork that I frankly, do not want to deal with. Yes, the situation could escalate into a war, and if it does, only then shall I notify Stargate Command. As far as the situation goes right now, we need to find a way to gather as much information about Ganeth as we can, without starting a war ourselves." Woolsey then turned away from me and addressed Lorne. "Major, I need you to alert all recon teams on Atlantis that there are to be no further expeditions to Ganeth until further notice. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"You are dismissed." Lorne made his exit and Woolsey directed his gaze back to me. "Shepherd, I need you and your team to start asking around with our allies for information regarding Ganeth. You must be discreet so as not to alert anyone else interested in the Coalition's business."

"Understood. Teyla, Ronon, McKay, and I will start with anyone who may engage in contact with Ganeth through trade." I stood up and left Woolsey's office, using my communicator to hail my team and tell them to meet me in the Jumper bay. I had a feeling that we were going on a wild goose chase.

It was about two weeks later before we even found a lead as to who was trading with Ganeth, and even that was a chance encounter. My team and I were headed to a Spacegate we could use to transit back to Atlantis when McKay picked up a help beacon from a Traveler ship. We followed the signal to the vessel and helped them make the necessary repairs so that they could make it to their next stop in their trade route. It was from one of the hangar crewmen that Teyla got our first bit of useful information. She said that, according to the crewman, the only people that have any trade relations whatsoever with Ganeth happen to be the Travelers, and even then, it is only a select few ships that are allowed to dock on the planet. He didn't know which ones, but the fact the only the Travelers traded with the Ganethans narrowed our search down immensely.

Our next step is to contact and meet with someone high in the chain of command. The person in question would have to be a person with whom we have a good rapport and who was well-travelled enough to be able to answer our questions. I could not quell my rising sense of mirth. _It will be quite nice to see Larrin again_.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Mission

Third chapter already! I can't believe it!

Chapter 3: A New Mission

Omlear:

It had been no more than two years since I first came aboard the Aurora-class battleship. My previously dark hair that had marked me as from Ganeth has been bleached white and I have grown accustomed to the black leather Traveler garb in place of my white priestess' habit. I am still not quite welcome among the crew as a friend, but I am grudgingly respected by them. My commander, Larrin treats me with kindness and has given me a purpose as her bodyguard and companion. The fact that she also taught me how to use firearms and gave me a concealed sidearm has also made me feel more at home on her ship. My thoughts are interrupted by the communicator beeping in my ear and I pressed the side button to answer.

"Nerid here."

"Oh good. Lee, it's Larrin. I need you to meet me by the second deck elevator. We have visitors and I need you to play bodyguard for me."

"I am on my way, Commander."

I hurried to the designated location, where I found Larrin impatiently tapping her foot. Surprisingly, Larrin was more dressed up than she usually was, with her light brown hair styled and smooth, and her leather clothing fitted tighter than was her norm. She was primping her hair and checking her appearance in the reflection from the elevator door. The commander looked away from her reflection and noticed my arrival.

"Lee, we need to hurry. They are already waiting for me in the starboard conference room".

I found myself trailing after Larrin as we made our way rapidly through the ship to the conference area to meet with the people who had just arrived. As Larrin and I entered the room, I noted the positions of the woman and three men around the conference table. Larrin greeted these strangers warmly, while I efficiently slipped behind Larrin's chair to stand guard for my friend. The Commander had told me on the way to the meeting that these people were from a city called Atlantis, allies of the Travelers against the Wraith. _The dark haired man seated in the center of the table opposite of Larrin must be the cocky Lieutenant Colonel John Shepherd that the Commander was always telling me about. I guess the serene woman on Shepherd's right to be the Athosian leader, Teyla Emmagan. The others must be the scientist, Rodney McKay and the Satedan Runner, Ronon Dex_. It was upon Dex and Emmagan that I focused my attention, because if there is to be a threat to Larrin, it would come from them. As I was watched the Atlantis team, so also was I assessed.

Shepherd: 

Larrin looked amazing as always to me, but I was curious as to what purpose the tall, dark skinned, white haired woman had in this room. _I find it amusing that after all the dealings we've had with Larrin and her people, she only now feels the need to have a bodyguard present in the conference room with us. Not only that, but it's some girl, and she doesn't even appear to be armed. __Maybe she's some sort of chaperone. Humph, like Larrin would even need a chaperone, _I chuckled to myself before turning my attention back to Larrin.

Omlear Nerid: 

As I watched the group, I could gauge their different reactions to me. The one called McKay noticed and promptly dismissed me as inconsequential to the meeting simply because I do not have a visible badge of rank. Emmagan merely nodded and accepted my presence, while Dex appeared to assess me to see if I would be a potential problem, before judging me to be insignificant. _His mistake_, I thought to myself before turning my concentration back to the conversation.

"So I can assume that this is not a social visit," Larrin began assertively.

"Well," Shepherd replied breezily, "we were in the neighborhood, and we happened to see your ship cruising by, so we decided, what the hell. Why don't we drop in on our good friend Larrin…"

"Cut the jokes, John", Larrin interrupted. "The only reason you would have to come see me is that you have a problem or you need something. What is it?"

"Okay, see here. The people of the Coalition have been having some trouble on some planet called Gammin or Kameth or something…"

"Ganeth," supplied Emmagan.

"Okay, Ganeth," Shepherd acknowledged. "Anyway, these people have been forbidden to trade in their Ganethan markets, and any foreigners are being forcibly removed from the planet for no reason. The Coalition contacted us and officially requested that we look into it and so far we have little to no leads about the situation, so we wanted to see what you knew. We tried to explore a bit and get to know the natives, but we were chased out by veiled warriors. We are here because a little birdie told us that you occasionally make trading stops on Ganeth."

At the mention of Ganeth and the warriors that I recognized as my sister priestesses, I flinched almost imperceptibly; however, that tiny movement appeared to have caught the attention of Dex and Emmagan, who I knew would file it away for later reference to tell their leader. Embarrassed at my lack of composure, I tried to settle my thoughts, though I knew that Larrin would also recognize this reference to my past. Her recognition presented itself in the form of tension across her shoulders, and I observed that the leader, Shepherd, also seemed to notice a bit more tautness emanating from Larrin. Unfortunately, he decided to push my Commander a little bit just to see what would happen.

"No offense Larrin, but it seems like you and your bodyguard friend over there have something to say about this topic. I think I would like to hear whatever information you ladies might have."

Larrin quickly shifted her glance to me, before turning smoothly back to face Shepherd. "I do not believe that my friend Nerid could have anything to say about Ganeth. After all, she is just one of my crew, and not even one ranked in the chain of command. I, however, would be more than happy to answer your questions."

"Fine," huffed McKay. "Moving right along. We need to know about their power structure, religion, society, level of technology, and anything else you can think of that would help us with this investigation."

"Since you asked so politely Dr. McKay, I suppose I could tell you. I wouldn't want to be rude. But first," paused Larrin, "Would any of you care for some refreshments? Yes? Nerid, please go to the galley and pick up some snacks and beverages."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, before smartly turning about and leaving the conference room. _What the hell is Larrin thinking, making me leave her alone like this?_ I fumed as I hurried to fulfill my commander's request.

Larrin:

"Anyways," I continued after Lee had left, "now that Nerid is not here, I can be frank. She is from Ganeth, and it might divide her loyalties to hear me talking about what information I have gathered from the little she has told me."

John leaned in, interested in what I had to say.

"The planet of Ganeth is mostly a desert one, with periodic oases. Such watering places are where the cities have sprung up, as well as the centers of trade, politics, and religion. The planet happens to be blessed with not one, but two gates of the Ancestors. The culture is male-dominated, where the only way women can gain power is to join the order of Rakshun. They have a nasty reputation as man-killers, but Nerid has told me that the goal of the order is to protect women, more specifically virgins, as well as do any protection work within their towns. Those in the upper divisions of the sect's hierarchy are often hired out as guards or chaperones for virgin women traveling to their future husbands' homes or into another abbey of that religion. Obviously the men seeking to steal or take advantage of those virgins would not be pleased with the Rakshuni priestesses, as the women are justified in killing those they perceive as threats to women. As far as the economy is concerned, the Ganethans have a rich abundance of precious metals and textiles. I do not know much about the political systems, because Nerid has not told me about them."

"You do realize that this little lecture tells us nothing about their military power or even why they would kick out foreigners from other planets right?" asked Ronon. "Shepherd, I think that we are wasting our time here."

"Ronon, have patience," interjected Teyla. "Larrin has graciously told us what she knows, but perhaps we should just go to the source and ask this Ganethan, Nerid."

"I agree with Teyla," said Rodney. "Let's just cut to the chase and get what we need and go. Otherwise, we're just wasting time."

John nodded his head in assent before addressing me. "We really do need to talk directly to her. Would it be possible for us to do so?"

"I don't know," I responded. "Nerid is rather private. I only know what I do because she has told me. I never asked about her past. However, I do have one question for you, Shepherd."

"Shoot."

"How long do you think this little project for the Council is going to last?"

"I actually don't know…Rodney?"

"It depends on how fast we can get the information we need, and how quickly we can investigate the culture."

"How about this?" I offered. "You are going to need firsthand information about the Ganethan people that I cannot provide. Also, you will need a consistent source if you have a last minute question in which you don't have the time to track me down. Here is my proposal: I will put Nerid under your command until you complete the Coalition's little investigation. She has been trained as a bodyguard, so you can use her in that aspect. In return, you will pay me for her time, take care of her physical needs, and teach her about Atlantean technology."

"I don't know about this, Shepherd," muttered Rodney. "I mean we don't even know the woman."

"I think that it is the best and only option we have," answered John. "It makes the most sense to just have her with us so we have access to what she knows. Ronon, Teyla, what do you guys think?"

"I think she is a security risk, but if we keep a close eye on her, it's a way to save time," grunted Ronon.

"John, are we really going to make her decision for her? I think that she has a right to consider this on her own. It is her life that we are talking about and not our own," said Teyla.

I interjected before John could speak. "She is my subordinate. She will do as I say. Besides, between you and me, the crew is still not comfortable around her and I think that getting around with new people will be good for her. Also…" I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, signaling Lee's return.

Omlear:

The door to the conference room slid open with a hiss as I returned with a tray of the requested food and beverages. It made me distinctly ill at ease to hear everyone stop talking and swivel their chairs to look at me and it made me even more uncomfortable when Larrin ordered me to introduce myself in front of the Atlantis team.

"I am Omlear Nerid, referred to as Lee. It is an honor to make your acquaintance," I greeted, bowing slightly in respect. I got a returning nod from Emmagan and Dex, as well as an offhanded wave from McKay. Shepherd merely crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

"So, Lee," he drawled. "We've got a little job for you. We need you to work with us at Atlantis for a little while and serve as our Ganethan cultural interpreter."

My back stiffened and I inadvertently slapped down the cup of water that I had been about to drink. Thoughts rushed through my mind about how I didn't want to leave and how they couldn't make me, but I did not let this show on my face as I turned to Larrin to hear her verdict.

Larrin: 

"They are quite correct," I said briskly after witnessing Lee's posture transition from bristling anger to controlled unhappiness. "In fact, as your Commander, I order you to accompany Shepherd and his team back to Atlantis and use your knowledge of Ganeth to aid and assist them. They will also be making use of your bodyguard talents. Now, I order you to go pack your things and prepare to move out when our guests leave." I watched as Lee stiffly saluted and stalked her way out of the room. _I hate doing this to her, but she is needed elsewhere._ I redirected my thoughts back to the Atlantis team. _I know that John is honorable and that the rest will take care of her. I only wish that I had more time to prepare her for this, rather than just tossing her with little explanation into a situation with people that she is unfamiliar with._ With an internal shrug, I looked up to see Shepherd watching me intently.

Shepherd: 

I knew Larrin well enough to be able to interpret the play of emotions across her face as she weighed decisions and I have experienced the kind of dilemma Larrin was having in justifying the decision to herself. _It is tough to be a leader sometimes…A lot of work and stress. Can be fun sometimes though._ When she noticed me watching, I nonchalantly commented, "You know Larrin, we will take good care of her." She nodded tersely, realizing that I had followed her train of thought though she did not voice it. I stood up and the rest of my team followed suit. "We'll make our way down to the hangar and meet our girl at the Puddle Jumper." Larrin agreed and we filed out of the conference room.

Omlear: 

While Larrin and the Atlantean team were continuing their little discussion, I was fuming in my room as I packed my clothing and the few objects that I had acquired over the years that I have lived in this little room adjoined to Larrin's. _How could she make me do this? She knows very well that I am happy here…I suppose that is the problem: she knows me too well. Larrin knows that I'm going to follow orders, whether I like them or not. _As I threw the items from my trunk into my bag, I came across my old saber that had long been buried under all my other stuff. I passed it back and forth between my hands for a moment, debating whether or not to take it. After a few moments' thought, I decided to add it to the other things in my pack. _Who knows? I might need it_ I justified to myself. _And if it bothers Shepherd and his team, then so be it… A bodyguard is allowed her weapons and I still have a bit of the barbarian priestess within me, never mind the fact that I have been living among the "civilized people" on this ship._


End file.
